Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf, (19 December 1594 – 16 November 1632 (O.S.)) or Gustav II Adolphus, widely known in English by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus was founder of the Swedish Empire at the beginning of what is widely regarded as the Golden Age of Sweden. In the era, which was characterized by nearly endless warfare, he led his armies as King of Sweden—from 1611, as a seventeen year old, until his death in battle while leading a charge during 1632 in the bloody Thirty Years' War—as Sweden rose from the status as a mere regional power and run-of-the-mill kingdom to one of the great powers of Europe and a model of early modern era government. Sweden expanded to become the third biggest nation in Europe after Russia and Spain within only a few years during his reign. Some have called him the father of modern warfare, or the first great modern general. It is indisputable that under his tutelage, Sweden and the Protestant cause developed a host of good generals—who continued to expand the empires' strength and influence long after his death in battle. He was known by the epithets "The Golden King" and "The Lion of the North" by neighboring sovereigns. Gustavus Adolphus in 1632 Gustavus Adolphus was the first European monarch to fully grasp the potential value of the time-displaced town of Grantville. In 1632, he formed an alliance with the embryonic New United States, which eventually became the United States of Europe, with Gustavus as its Emperor. 1631-1632: Breitenfeld At the time of the Ring of Fire, Gustavus was on the offensive in Germany, but was facing some set-backs. Despite his promises to save the city, Magdeburg was sacked by Count Tilly, who was in the employ of the German Catholic League. Gustavus only had three German rulers truly loyal to him: Bernard and Wilhelm, Dukes of Saxe-Weimar, and William V, Langrave of Hesse-Kessel. The pious Gustav was devastated by this news. He also realized that Saxe-Weimar would likely be the League's next target, and that he could do nothing about it. He was also financially strained. He'd used up the Swedish treasury, and received most of his operating funds from France. However, France was not prompt with its payments, which Gustav found insulting as he knew that Cardinal Richelieu wanted to use the Swedes to block the expansion of the Habsburg dynasty's power on the continent. Looking for other resources, Gustavus reached an agreement with the Dutch Republic. Privately, he lamented to his chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna that although the agreement had been reached, the messenger had not rendezvoused with Gustav's representative, Alexander Mackay. (Mackay did eventually enter Grantville, and laid the foundation for the eventual alliance between the New United States and Sweden.) Despite these set-backs, Gustavus pressed on. First, he dispatched William of Hesse-Kessel to return to his realm and prepare to defend it. He also convinced the Dukes of Saxe-Weimar to stay with him, rather than to go forth and mount a doomed defense of Saxe-Weimar. He also ordered Mackay to stay at his post in Badenburg (his reasons for doing so were known only to Oxenstiernia and himself). Finally, he prepared to march on his brother-in-law, George William of Brandenburg, in an effort to force the wayward German to the Swedish banner. Finally, in September, 1631, Tilly invaded Saxony , and its elector, John George, formally combined his forces with Gustavus's. The allies met Tilly's forces at the Battle of Breitenfeld, where, despite the immediate retreat of the Saxons, Gustavus achieved a decisive victory in the face of disaster. Gustavus marched through Thuringia in October 2, 1631. This was more or less concurrent with the Battle of Jena. (The fact that most of Grantville's military was away at the time caused Grantville's de facto Mike Stearns consternation.) Gustavus seized Erfurt, and began settling into winter quarters. 1632:Meeting the Americans Gustavus finally received a report from Alexander Mackay in the early months of 1632, and was entranced with the notion of a "colony" from the future. The New United States had proclaimed itself a republic, much to the chargin of Wilhelm and Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, as its territory cut into their hereditary lands. For his part, Gustavus didn't care. He saw the NUS as a logical step to protect their survival for the winter. Nonetheless, Gustavus agreed to try to mollify Wihelm (not Bernard, who'd come to be viewed with didain by his advisors). Gustavus began making preparations against his enemies, which now included Albrecht von Wallenstein. He also ordered Sir James Spens to arrange a meeting with an American. Gustavus became an ally of the New United States in 1632. He was given the title Protector-General (as "Captain Gars"). He remained occupied prosecuting the war against the Catholic Reformation but with the sneak attacks by the secretly formed League of Ostend he personally saw to the defense of the vital port of Lübeck while scrambling his forces to defend against the new English-French-Danish-Spanish alliance. He won the Battle of Alte Vesta with the help of the Americans. Gustav worked hand in hand with Mike Stearns in matters of state. After defeating Denmark in battle in 1634, he maneuvered Christian IV into reconstituting the Union of Kalmar, with Sweden as the leader. Category:1632 Characters Category:Historical Figures Category:Swedes Category:Lutherans Category:Killed in Action (OTL) Category:POVs Category:Generals Category:Vasas Category:Monarchs of Sweden